- Team form: Polissya are the form side and were 3rd in 2025-26 UPL.
- Head-to-head: Polissya won 3-1 in March 2025 and 4-1 in August 2024.
- Promotion: Chornomorets were promoted from the 2025–26 First League, where they had a strong campaign.
Polissya have the edge in UPL promotion scrap
Odds and expectations
Polissya Zhytomyr have looked the most likely to make an impact in the 2026–2027 Premier League, so the bookmakers have marked them up as the strong favorites at 1.34 ahead of their clash against FC Chornomorets Odessa at Chornomorets Stadium, Ukraine. The visitors look likely to take all three points in what should be a competitive opening-day game.
Summer friendlies
Chornomorets, who have looked a mixed bag in their summer friendlies, beat Kryvbas 2-1 and Inhulets 1-0, but lost 2-0 at Oleksandriya, while Polissya have hit stride with a 4-0 win over CSKA Sofia and a 2-1 success at WSG Tirol in their build up to the start of the season.
Tactics and key players
- Ruslan Rotan has Polissya playing pro-active, possession-based soccer in a 4-3-3 formation with sharp vertical play out wide and Oleksiy Hutsulyak providing the spark.
- Mykola Hayduchyk, who is Polissya's main finisher after netting nine goals, will be the target of Chornomorets' attention on Sunday.
- Roman Hryhorchuk has Chornomorets built up to be very solid in a compact 4-2-3-1 system that looks to stay in the game and hit on the counter.
- Top scorer Vladyslav Herych, who got eight goals in that campaign, will be their best bet for a goal.
Bigger Polissya win on cards
This fixture has been closely matched over the 2023–2025 cycle in all competitions, but Polissya have come out on top in the two most recent meetings and the bigger win (4-1 in August 2024) suggests they know how to make it work. The last time Chornomorets got the better of Polissya in the UPL was back in September 2023, so there is a pretty clear pattern here.
The visitors will still be riding the wave of their 2025–26 Ukrainian Premier League campaign that saw them finish third with an impressive record of 18 wins, five draws and seven losses from 30 games and a 51-21 goal record. We believe their greater Premier League quality and current form makes them the more likely of the two to grab all three points this weekend.
Polissya's goals have been flowing recently and there is no reason to think their momentum will stop on Sunday, but the odds on offer and the team's style of play suggests it will be a tight away win. A Polissya win with under 2.5 goals looks the best way to go at 1.92, while a 1-2 scoreline seems to fit best in the correct score market, but Polissya will get it done even if BTTS doesn't land at 1.65.
